Dad on Work Trip Opens Case, Discovers What 5-Year-Old Snuck Into His Bag

A Reddit post showcasing a simple yet sweet image has gone viral, racking up some 127,000 upvotes.

The post, captioned: “traveling for work this week. [A] pleasant surprise from my kiddo when I opened my suitcase at the hotel,” had an image of an open suitcase containing a stuffed dinosaur toy.

“I felt very loved,” Robert Marsh, who uses the handle u/Maleficent-Luck5254, told Newsweek.

Marsh, who is in his 30s, added that he frequently travels for his job as a CEO, overseeing hospitals that serve people experiencing mental and behavioral health crises.

Marsh, who is based in Columbia, Missouri, told Newsweek that unexpectedly finding his five-year-old daughter’s toy brought him comfort while away for five days.

Parents vs. Non-Parents: Differing Priorities in Business Travel

According to The 2023 Global Business Travel Survey, many parents feel they are being asked to travel more than they prefer, with 44 percent expressing this concern, compared to 25 percent of non-parents and 38 percent of all business travelers.

The worldwide survey conducted by Wakefield Research in April, last year, among 3,850 business travelers revealed parents also have higher expectations for their health and safety during business trips. They are more likely than non-parents to expect their company to allow travel outside of standard policies (94 percent vs. 82 percent) and are more willing to decline trips that don’t meet their standards (94 percent vs. 85 percent).

Parents cite several key reasons for justifying travel outside of company policy, including safety concerns (51 percent vs. 40 percent), maintaining work-life balance (50 percent vs. 40 percent), choosing sustainable travel options (39 percent vs. 30 percent), adding personal travel to work trips (36 percent vs. 29 percent), attending conferences (34 percent vs. 23 percent), and accommodating ideological or lifestyle differences with their destination (33 percent vs. 22 percent).

Reddit Reacts

The popular August 26 post has more than 800 comments—many from other parents.

“My son once put his die-cast cap gun in my luggage. The TSA found it and we all laughed and laughed and they think I might get to go home next winter,” said one comment with 3,300 upvotes.

“I’d go all in,” suggested another user, adding: “Dino reading the paper with me, prepping a presentation. Seeing the local sites. What a sweet gesture from your daughter. Run with it and make all the precious memories for her.”

“Who needs a stress ball when you’ve got a dino to squeeze?” said a third commenter.

“When I was a kid, my dad traveled a lot for work. I’d always sneak a stuffed animal in his luggage or truck. I thought he needed a travel buddy. He never said anything till I was an adult. He told me the lady bug was his favorite,” shared a fourth user.

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